Direct drive clothes washing machine motor rotors are directly coupled to the shaft that drives the washing machine to transmit the torque produced by the motor. The types of rotors used in these applications until now fall within in two general categories: plastic rotors and steel rotors. Each general type is associated with advantages and disadvantages. For example, steel rotors, although relatively strong and durable, tend to be relatively heavy and costly. In contrast, plastic rotors tend to be lighter and less costly than steel rotors but because the plastic typically used is significantly less strong/durable than metal, such rotors must be designed to overcome this factor. Typically, the coupling geometry of a plastic rotor must be adjusted to provide a relatively large area of engagement with the drive shaft. This results in a plastic rotor typically having a relatively long axial length, which is not desirable especially for horizontal axis washing machines. Relatively, long axial lengths are not limited to plastic rotors, however, many, if not all, steel rotor designs tend to have relatively overall long axial lengths.
In view of the foregoing, a need still exists for a rotor having one or more of the following characteristics: relatively low cost, relatively short in axial length, relatively light weight, relatively strong/durable coupling with the drive shaft.